Need help with German translation

[paulthompson]

I've been doing some research on Bojinka lately, and am developing evidence that the FBI knew it involved more than just loose talk to take a small plane and crash into CIA headquarters, but that they knew all about the "third phase" to hit many buildings in the US, and yet did nothing about it. For instance, this key bit from Nafeez Ahmed's War on Freedom book:

Rafael M. Garcia III, Chairman/CEO of the Mega Group of Computer Companies in the Philippines, who often works with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in his field of expertise, was involved in the intelligence operation that uncovered Project Bojinka. Garcia was responsible for the decoding of Yousef’s computer. “This was how we found out about the various plots being hatched by the cell of Ramzi Yousef. First, there was the plot to assassinate Pope John Paul II,” he observes. “Then, we discovered a second, even more sinister plot: Project Bojinka, or a Yugoslav term for loud bang.<8> This was a plot to blow up 11 airlines over the Pacific Ocean, all in a 48-hour period. The planes would have come from Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, and Manila…

“Then we found another document that discussed a second alternative to crash the 11 planes into selected targets in the United States instead of just blowing them up in the air. These included the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia; the World Trade Center in New York; the Sears Tower in Chicago; the TransAmerica Tower in San Francisco; and the White House in Washington, DC… I submitted my findings to NBI officials, who most certainly turned over the report (and the computer) either to then Senior Superintendent Avelino Razon of the PNP or to Bob Heafner of the FBI… I have since had meetings with certain U.S. authorities and they have confirmed to me that indeed, many things were done in response to my report.”<9>

<9> Garcia, Raphael M., ‘Decoding Bojinka,’ Newsbreak Weekly, 15 November 2001, Vol. 1, No. 43. Also see Cooley, John, Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, American and International Terrorism, Pluto Press, London, 1999, p. 247.

Anyway, an important article relating to this is only in German. John Doe II found the link and gave me a brief summary (I'm especially intrigued by the involvement of a Pakistani general), but I'd need the text of the full article to use it. Can anyone translate what's in these links?

Die Welt, 12/7/01

The article is a two parter:
http://www.welt.de/data/2001/12/07/538666.html?search=Sears+Tower&searchHILI=1
http://www.welt.de/data/2001/12/07/538666.html?s=2

The content of the article:

A few days before arrival of the pope on the Phillipines there was a fire and police found bombs.
In the appartement lived Ramsi Ahmed Jussef, Abdul Hakim Murad and Wali Kahn Amin Schah
They all went to a flight school
Only Murad gt caught because he came back to the appartement
On his computer was the plane of "Operation Bojinka": eleven planes should have bombs aboard that would start simultaneously
Another part of the plane is the hijacking of planes that should be crashed into buildings simultaneously. Named are: CIA headquaters in Langley. Phlippines officials added now that also the WTC and the Sears Tower were mentioned
The investigators concentraed on the part of the plan that inculded the bombs
Parts of the examination of Murad is in the hands of "Die Welt"
Murad described that he was educated for a suicide operation
He said that bin Laden had started since the middle of the nineties with the formation of suicide terrorists with the help of a pakistan general
Details of Operation Bojinka had been known to CIA and FBI
Details were even presented 1997 during the trial of Youssef and Murad
Secret Services knew that Youssef had connections to Abu Sayyaf
The German BND also knew about Operation Bojinka

[mikelewis]

1. I've sent a letter to a freind who translates German... He's may be able

to help.

[John Doe II]

2. Pakistan General

Unfortunately I don't have enough time to translate the whole article. Save the mentioning of the general I knew all facts in this article already from your Timeline.
Here's the bit on the general:

Immerhin räumte Murad in seinen damaligen Vernehmungen in Manila ein, dass er im Auftrag Osama Bin Ladens für ein solches Selbstmordkommando ausgebildet wurde. Demnach begann Bin Laden schon Mitte der neunziger Jahren mit Hilfe eines afghanischen Piloten und eines pakistanischen Generals mit dieser Ausbildung.


TRanslation:
At least Murad conceded in his interrogation at that time in Manila that he was prepared for that kind of suicide mission (with airplanes) on order of UBL. UBL started already this instruction in the middle of the nineties with the help of an afghan pilot and a pakistan general.

[paulthompson]

3. There's more

There are actually other interesting bits, such as the part about all three Bojinka plotters mentioned training to fly, or the specific mention of the WTC and Sears Tower.

Mike, any word from your friend?

[mikelewis]

4. I just got a reply but not much help

This is his reply,

"hey mike,
i read the article. i don't really see why the dude needs this; it's not a very in-depth article, and Die Welt is pretty mainstream. in fact, this incident is described in the official 9-11 report - i don't see anything new here.

sorry, we couldn't be more help.

[John Doe II]

5. More bits

In der Wohnung hantierten drei von Bin Ladens Topterroristen mit explosivem Material: Ramsi Ahmed Jussef, Abdul Hakim Murad und ein dritter Mann, Wali Kahn Amin Schah. Alle drei besuchten auf den Philippinen eine Flugpilotenschule und bewohnten gemeinsam das Haus im Zentrum Manilas. Nach der Explosion konnten Jussef und der Schah entkommen. Murad wurde nur deshalb gefasst, weil er zum Tatort zurückkehrte, um einen Laptopcomputer zu retten.


In the appartement three of bin Laden's topterrorists were working with explosive material: Ramsi Ahmed Youssed, Abdul Hakim Murad and a thrid man, Wali Kahn Amin Schah. Alle three went to a flightschool on the Philippines and lived together in the house in the center of Manila. Murad only got caught because he came back to the location in order ti save his laptop.

=============================

Konkret wird in dem Text nach WELT-Informationen beispielsweise das CIA-Hauptquartier in Langley als mögliches Attentatsziel genannt. Philippinische Ermittler äußerten inzwischen, auch das World Trade Center und der Sears Tower in Chicago seien erwähnt worden.


Concretely are named in the text (a file that was found on Murad's computer) according to information of "Die Welt" the CIA headquarter in Langley as a possible target. Philippine investigators pointed out in the meantime that also the WTC and the Sears Tower in Chicago had been mentioned.

[paulthompson]

6. Okay

The thing about the Pakistani general must be the same as this:

In other developments, a former pilot with Afghanistan's national carrier was quoted as saying yesterday that he had helped train 14 Islamic militants to fly civilian aircraft.

The London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted the pilot as saying from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan that the trainees had left the country nearly one year ago to undisclosed locations after completing their training.

The paper did not say if the trainees were among the hijackers who slammed commercial aircraft into the Pentagon in Washington and the World Trade Center in New York on Tuesday.

It said the young trainees were Pakistanis, Afghans and Arab nationals. Some carried European passports and spoke fluent English.

http://taipeitimes.com/News/us/archives/2001/09/14/102905

That, it turn, is the same info pretty much as in the 10/1/01 Evening Standard article titled: Cash Transfers 'Link Bin Laden To Attacks':

Meanwhile, a worldwide hunt is under way for 14 young Muslims said to have been trained in secret to fly Boeing airliners at an airbase in Afghanistan.

A senior pilot for the Afghan state-owned airline Ariana has told how he and four colleagues were forced by the Taliban regime to train the men who are now thought to be hiding in Europe and the United States. The 14 men, seven of whom are said to speak fluent English, are described as "dedicated Muslim fanatics" who spoke of being involved in a holy war.

They are thought to have left Afghanistan a year ago. All had close links with the Taliban and some had fought for the regime.

---

John Doe, it would be good if you could find out more about this, once you can look up articles again. The Die Welt story has the unique info of the training starting in the mid-1990's. My guess is all three articles are drawing from the same Asharq al-Awsat article, so it would be good to get closer to the source. Some of these guys could be the real hijackers. It would make perfect sense. If Pakistan is in on the plot, they would want real pilots, not incompetent losers like Hani Hanjour. Ariana Airlines, the Afghanistan national airline mentioned above, was basically "Bin Laden Air" and did much more ferrying of drugs and weapons than ferrying of passengers. One would want to use a resource like that, and with it one could train with real jumbo jets instead of little Cessnas. The "hijackers" we all know would be the ones laying the false trail of evidence in the US.